Memories of Falling
by Solitary Dragon1
Summary: After the Legendary Battle, the people of Cephiro are left to try to hold together their shattered world...
1. Slipping

This fic will attempt to fill the gap between seasons one and two of Rayearth and explain what happened in Cephiro at this time. Contains spoilers for the end of season one and the beginning of season two (volumes three and four of the manga). I follow the manga continuity.  
  
Thank you to Christine and Alena, my beta-readers.  
  
Enjoy. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Clef had no need to watch the legendary battle through the miniature likeness of Cephiro he could create at will. He could Feel every spell with his mage-senses. But he felt compelled to do so, as if to be there for his students, in some odd way, during the battle which would surely take their lives.  
  
His heart wrenched at the myriad of emotions Zagato harbored, then used to fuel his attacks against the Magic Knights. They faltered, and for a moment, cold fear clenched a fist around his heart. The Magic Knights must not fail! If they...if they did, it would mean the end of Cephiro, for Zagato's anger was great.  
  
But wait! He leaned closer to the image. The Knights were getting back up!  
  
He could feel them drawing strength. Such great power- such strong hearts. They released it all at once, in a combined attack, a blinding flash of light. Though he was miles away, Clef felt the heat through his robes and the roaring of power in his ears.  
  
And then, nothing. Deafening silence.  
  
Sol Zagato was no more.  
  
Clef bowed his head in silent grief. *I'm sorry, Zagato. I've failed you.* he apologized. Yet the battle was far from over. The Magic Knights still had to face their true enemy. He had no need to imagine Emeraude's emotions; he felt them as keenly as if they were his own. Sadness, emptiness, a great void. And then, rage. Pure, all-consuming, mindless rage. Her power skyrocketed, and he saw the birth of another Spirit.  
  
The already dark skies exploded into storming thunder and lightening. Winds rose and howled and snapped branches from trees. Clef stood, oblivious to the weather. He was only concerned with the battle. It seemed to last forever, with the Magic Knights giving ground every minute of it.  
  
Something flickered. A tiny spark of love ignited in the well of darkness and hate that was now Emeraude of Cephiro. The Magic Knights grew stronger, and in a brilliant display of power, the three became one.  
  
He looked up. They were directly above him, just beyond the great, dark mirror-bowl of the sky. A great, piercing power, and the wind suddenly stopped. Then, there was a great explosion of light that engulfed the world with its blaze, and with it a silence so great it hurt to listen to. It lasted for the longest moment in history, then shrunk to a pinprick.  
  
*Guru Clef,* Emeraude called in his head, and Clef gasped. *Please...tell them...tell the Magic Knights...I'm sorry...and...thank you.* The voice faded, and the light vanished.  
  
"PRINCESS EMERAUDE!" Someone screamed, and only when it died down did Clef realize it had been his own voice. His gaze was fixed on the sky, and a giant crack appeared in it with a rolling sound like thunder. Then more, and finally, the sky splintered like a broken mirror with a resounding crack that reverberated through his mind so that his very bones seemed to vibrate. Billions of sparkling shards rained down on Cephiro.  
  
Princess Emeraude, Pillar of Cephiro, was dead.  
  
Beneath his feet, Cephiro reeled and shuddered violently with the shock of its Pillar's death. All the color seemed to wash out of the land. The grass withered and died before his eyes, and once-green leaves crumpled and turned to dust. The quaking grew, and Clef crouched down to avoid being knocked off his feet. Dirty-gray trees toppled over, some disintegrating into ash, and still others bursting into flame. One fell and was inches away from crushing him when the mage stretched out a small hand and stopped it. It hung there suspended in mid-air for a few seconds before he let it fall somewhat to his left. After it crashed to the ground, it grew eerily quiet except for the crackling of flames and the distant sound of thunder from the void beyond Cephiro.  
  
There was no time. Bereft of a Pillar, Cephiro lacked the thread that held it together and would fall apart like a poorly sewn garment. And it had already begun. Without a Pillar, all was lost. And the people, the inhabitants of this world were largely ignorant of the situation, only knowing that something terrible had happened. Soon, the land itself would start to crumble away, and quickly at that. The people needed someplace where they could be safe. Or at least as safe as one could be in a dying land.  
  
But that problem would have to wait. There was something Clef wanted to do first, before anything else happened, and he had very limited time. He lifted the point of his staff from the ground and whispered a spell. There was the familiar sensation of air whooshing past him, and when it passed he opened his eyes and beheld the great spires of the castle in the sky, a wounded shadow of its former glory.  
  
It no longer shone with the same radiance; the crystal seemed clouded. Entire sections had been blown away to nothingness by the battle, and signs of the struggle were everywhere. Black scorch marks framed areas where the crystal had melted like wax from the intense heat of the Fire Knight's magic. Wind and water spells had carved deep grooves in the towering walls, and Zagato's dark magic had ripped off several wings, leaving nothing but jagged splinters behind, and still more of the great structure was cracked and looked ready to topple.  
  
He walked slowly along the outside of the broken castle, brushing a hand against the walls; his fingers left pale streaks on the dust-coated structure. Lightning cracked in the dark sky above his head. Something near his feet caught his eye.  
  
Kneeling, the Master Mage set aside his staff to pick up the black, heavy object in both hands. It was Zagato's headdress, or what was left of it. The great stone in the center was cracked, and much of it had melted away.  
  
He knew that if he closed his eyes, he could picture the first time his pupil wore it, the day he became High Priest of Cephiro. The first time he locked eyes with Emeraude.  
  
The day Fate was sealed.  
  
Lightning lit up the sky and thunder rolled again.  
  
Clef banished the memories, placing what was left of the headdress within his robes, and stood up, walking determinedly toward the giant, Mashin- sized hole in the castle, the path to which was littered with rubble and had deep gouges left by the giant Spirits. It led to the water dungeon, made almost completely unrecognizable by battle. Chunks of castle wall and roof larger than he was lay strewn about. Water, no longer contained by solid rock, flowed freely, pooling in the deeper craters. The whole placed reeked of burning and the air still crackled with Magic.  
  
A once-splendid tiara set with emeralds lay on the ruined floor, looking forlorn. It was largely intact, with only a few of the smaller stones broken and was beginning to dull under the fine layer of dust that hovered in the air, the only thing in the whole dungeon that wasn't debris. Clef supposed it was still beautiful, in a way, but he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that it was the same tiara that crowned the Pillar. He scrubbed furiously at the gems, rubbing away the grime and making the marred surface shine again.  
  
But it wasn't the same.  
  
It was broken, like Emeraude had been, like Cephiro was now.  
  
Pent-up emotions welled to the surface for release. Clef clamped his eyes shut and set his jaw, silencing them. There was no time for such trivial things. There was a dying country below him filled with people who were powerless against the death-throes of the land.  
  
No! Cephiro was not dead yet! He had no right to give up! People depended on him; he had his duty to them, to Cephiro.  
  
To Emeraude.  
  
The other mages would be waiting. Even now, he could sense them gathering.  
  
His place was in Cephiro among its people, not standing among the shattered ruins of a crystal castle in the sky.  
  
Said castle seemed to agree, for at that moment it started to pitch and roll. Clef reached out and steadied himself against the wall, tucking the broken tiara inside his robes with his free hand. Without the Pillar's support, the magnificent floating structure would soon cease to be.  
  
The tiny mage waited for a lull in the shaking and retraced his steps to the exterior. Something black caught his eye, jutting sharply out of the crystal.  
  
Zagato's sword.  
  
Clef walked to it and grasped the hilt with both hands, straining against the suction grip that held it. It slipped free suddenly, throwing him backwards, scraping against the ground. The sword was a glorious piece of artisanship, as tall as he was and forged of a hard, obsidian-black metal honed to razor-sharpness.  
  
The stains of the Magic Knights' blood stood testimony to that.  
  
He closed his eyes, and the sword vanished into the jewel on his staff. As he did so, the castle shook even more violently than before and the topmost spire broke off and toppled toward the ground far below in a shower of glittering splinters.  
  
"Lightning!" Clef cried, obliterating it mid-fall, lest it cause anymore unnecessary damage to Cephiro or its inhabitants. He had dawdled in foolish whims long enough. It was time to go back.  
  
The mages were congregating together in a meeting place selected innumerable generations ago for use in dire circumstances. They numbered so few now.  
  
Clef would need to be there, to lead them. He took a deep breath and the giant, intricately carved staff glowed with power as he focused on the location of the gathered mages, then vanished with a whispered spell.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Comments and constructive criticism are very much appreciated. Please leave a review! 


	2. Tumbling

Disclaimer: I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth. I am merely playing with it for a bit. Thank you Christine and Alena.  
  
Ferio growled, very irritated at the constant stream of monsters he was battling in his attempt to get out of the Forest of Silence. It seemed as though for every one he destroyed, two rose up in its place to try and eat him. While the sarcastic, jesting side of his mind told him to be flattered that apparently everything in the entire forest was attracted to him, the rest was screaming bloody murder at the other half to shut up and get on with slicing the damned things already.  
  
i*Stop that, Ferio. Stay focused if you want to stay alive.* /ihe reprimanded himself as he cleaved through another demented flora monster. The people's fear must have run out of creative ways to manifest itself, and had therefore resorted to giant evil flowers.  
  
Something changed. Ferio couldn't quite tell what it was, but the air suddenly shifted. Even the monsters realized it, for they stood frozen for a moment, but then, frightened of something, the creatures scattered, running back into the depths of the Forest of Silence.  
  
Ferio blinked and looked around, puzzled, then shrugged and sprinted toward the edge of the forest, deciding to take advantage of the monsters' distraction. Just as he reached the edge, Cephiro abruptly shuddered and heaved, throwing him off-balance. When the shaking finally stopped, something bright at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked up, and saw a brilliant flash of light that simply grew in size and radiance, until he had to turn away and shield his eyes with his forearm as the light engulfed the world.  
  
i*Ferio* /iA voice whispered in his head. "Emeraude. . ." he breathed, and could almost see her in his mind's eye: serene, even as she died, and for the first time that he could remember, not the least bit sad. "Emeraude!" he called, louder, though he could barely hear the sound of his own voice above the silence.  
  
i*Do not grieve for me. . .little brother. . .for I am happy. . .that I am now free. . .to be Zagato's lover. . .if only. . .for a moment. . .* /iThe Sense of her presence faded from his mind, and he knew his sister was gone.  
  
The light faded slowly, shrinking to a tiny speck in the sky, before vanishing completely. There was a split second of complete stillness, and then giant cracks began to appear in the sky, more and more of them, until finally it burst and the debris showered down on Cephiro; the billions of tiny shards reflected the lightening from the void beyond his world as they fell.  
  
This was the death of a Pillar.  
  
Ferio simply stood there, staring at the sky, mouth open. A curiously detached part of his mind realized the significance of the event he was now witnessing, and was awed. The rest was simply too stunned to think anything. It was odd, though. He had known the fate of his sister for years now, and the appearance of the Magic Knights of Legend had only confirmed his own suspicions about the state of Cephiro. Having grown up near the Pillar, he knew the Legend and how it must end. He had prepared himself for her death long ago. Yet, he was struck by the pure reality of it, the solid, concrete knowledge that someone dear to his heart was gone. He almost felt as if he could simply return to the castle and there would be Emeraude, smiling sadly in welcome. But deep in his heart, he knew that was just wishful thinking, because Emeraude was dead, dead at the hands of that shy, impossibly clever girl with the green eyes and careful heart and why couldn't he just accept it and stop the tears that were threatening to fall?  
  
His reverie was broken when the land began to pitch and roll beneath him. All the flora crumbled and died within minutes, and there was not a single animal to be seen. Soon, the tremors worsened, and the geography of Cephiro began to change. Once-green plains were now barren fields of rock, and the land cracked and split, forming great chasms in craggy designs on its surface.  
  
Oddly, the Forest of Silence remained untouched.  
  
At the moment, the deadly forest was looking like a safer place to be than the rest of Cephiro. Ferio had no idea what to do. If he went back into the Forest of Silence, the monsters there would kill him. If he stayed where he was, Cephiro would be his death.  
  
After some deliberation, Ferio made his decision. Monsters, he could deal with, but even his trusty sword was no match for the world. Just as he turned back into the darkness between the trees, Cephiro suddenly grew still. He froze. Even the wild winds died down, and were replaced by an eerie calm. Despite the stillness, the very air seemed to vibrate. Something was happening.  
  
He lifted his gaze to the sky opposite the forest, where the dark clouds churned and lightening flashed there. The clouds began to part, and swirled around the growing opening. A beam of light plunged its way to the ground in the distance, struggling to survive in a land permeated with darkness. Currents of air whooshed towards him from that spot, and he recognized the signs of a great magic being performed.  
  
The beam condensed into a thin cylinder of pure white light, which then began to expand outward, literally pushing rock out of its way until great cliffs jutted out from the ground like jagged teeth. The light faded and in its place stood a magnificent, gleaming castle. Three long, narrow spires thrust heavenward from a base shaped like a starburst, reminiscent of the Pillar's castle that he supposed was destroyed now, but he wasn't going to think about that.  
  
Ferio slung his sword across his back and sprinted toward the new addition to Cephiro's changing landscape. A few minutes into his run, great beasts flew out in scattered bursts from the vicinity of the structure. He recognized a couple of them as Clef's and as they passed overhead he could see that each had a rider, though they were too high up for him to make out much more.  
  
"Oi!" He had stopped running and was now trying to attract their attention. "OI! DOWN HERE!" He waved both arms above his head in wild circles, but to no avail. The lot of them flew over him and vanished from sight.  
  
"Damn," he muttered, allowing his mind to indulge in a few derogatory comments about the people who had failed to notice him. Well, more than a few. He readjusted his sword so that the strap lay more comfortably across his shoulder and began running again.  
  
When he was almost at the base of the castle, Ferio could run no more. He half collapsed against a boulder, clutching at the stitch in his side and gasping for breath. When he no longer felt like he was going to pass out, he looked up and saw, just a short distance away, a griffin, poised as if ready to take off, with a man dressed in the garb of a mage. The man was leaning to the side opposite Ferio, apparently directing his full attention to something Ferio couldn't see. The creature ignored the green-haired prince, and at its rider's signal, flapped its great, feathered wings and took off, sending clouds of dust in all directions. When the dust cleared (and Ferio stopped coughing) he was able to see what had held the mage's attention.  
  
There, standing amid the ruined landscape, was Master Mage Clef. The small man was several metres away, eyes closed, lavender head slightly bowed. He gave no sign of noticing the prince, though Ferio doubted that was so. Ferio took a step forward, and although he could have sworn his boots made no sound on the rock, the mage looked up.  
  
He looked tired, Ferio decided. Tired and old. But a shadow of what might have been relief passed over his pale face and he almost smiled.  
  
"It's good to see you." For the life of him, Ferio could not think of an appropriate response. Thunder rumbled again.  
  
"Been a while." He settled for something generic and managed a weak grin as he crossed the distance between them. Clef looked away for a moment, before meeting Ferio's eyes with his own unwavering gaze.  
  
"Ferio, your sister." Clef broke off, unwilling -or was it unable? -to continue.  
  
"Emeraude's dead. I know." The prince said shortly. Clef showed no sign of surprise. "I.I heard her voice." He hesitantly revealed. The mage nodded.  
  
"As did I." Neither said anything more and there was silence, except for the frequent roaring thunder far above them. Finally, Ferio could stand it no more.  
  
"So, what's all this?" He gestured toward the crystalline structure above them.  
  
"A castle made of Will. I sent the mages off to bring people here, for Cephiro no longer has any support. This is the safest place for everyone."  
  
"Sounds like a good plan," Ferio took a moment to look at the castle close- up and whistled appreciatively. "So what do I get to do?" It was his country too, and he'd be damned if everyone else did all the work. Clef thought for a moment.  
  
"I need you to find someone for me. She lives in a very remote place and I am reluctant to send a mage there."  
  
"What about you?" Ferio was reluctant to leave the mage alone. Sure, Clef could more than take care of himself, but the Master Mage looked exhausted.  
  
"I will stay here. The castle is vulnerable, and when the people arrive, monsters will be drawn to the fear they harbor. I need to place wards around it to keep such creatures out."  
  
"Are you sure you've enough power for that?" Ferio instantly regretting that statement, for it was among the rudest things one could say to most mages. Then again, Clef was not most mages, and he did not appear affronted, but merely determined.  
  
"I will do what I must, Ferio." He took a step back and leveled his staff. "Pet Summon!" The staff shone brightly and the prince braced himself against the displaced air that whooshed past him when the creature appeared.  
  
"Fyula?" The flying blue fish wriggled happily, untroubled by the drastic change in its surroundings.  
  
"I sent off my other pets with the mages. He may not be very fast, but Fyula will take you there." Clef rested a hand on the fish's side. It purred and calmed down slightly.  
  
"Where exactly is 'there'?" Ferio eyed the creature. He had ridden Fyula before and was comfortable with it, but the fact that Clef chose a giant flying fish, of all things, as his preferred method of transportation still struck him as odd.  
  
"The Forest of Silence."  
  
"What?! I was just there!" Ferio exclaimed. "I ran all the way here!"  
  
"Well, now you can go back." Clef replied testily, giving him a look. "I need you to bring the Chief Artisan Presea here. She resides in the Forest, and it is not safe there."  
  
"Looked just fine to me." Clef gave him another look, this one slightly more annoyed. "Well, fine in the sense of being an evil cursed forest with monsters." He decided to shut up.  
  
"You shall have to move quickly; Fyula cannot exist in the Forest for very long." He warned as Ferio climbed up to the fish's back. Fyula obligingly moved a wing aside and then moved to take off.  
  
"Wait!" Clef exclaimed suddenly. *I cannot believe I almost forgot this!* Ferio glanced over and saw something in his hand glow briefly before he stepped back and hurled it at Ferio.  
  
"What the.?" Something small hit Ferio squarely in the chest with just enough force to sting a little and bounced into his lap. A key.  
  
"Now go!" The ground fell away as Fyula took flight. Ferio watched the landscape pass by, growing increasingly depressed by the desolate appearance of a word that short hours ago had been lush and green and beauti-no, not beautiful. It had never been beautiful. Its beauty was deceptive, a façade to hide the misery such beauty brought, the pain of one solitary existence forced apart from the rest of Cephiro.  
  
i*Emeraude,* /iHis sister, the only family he had, gone. Dead. And for what? For love? Was this the fate of love? To be pushed aside because the world was so jealous that it could not stand that your heart had turned to something else? And when it could be denied no longer, to destroy and become hate?  
  
Love brought suffering. Emeraude suffered because she loved Zagato. Now he, Ferio, suffered the pain of loss over his sister's death. Was this love?  
  
iDo not grieve for me. . .for I am happy. . . /i  
  
Happiness? What kind of world called this happiness? It wasn't fair! Why should Emeraude only find happiness in death? And the price of such happiness? Cephiro was in ruins, Zagato died to defend Emeraude's humanity, Lantis had vanished long ago, unable to bear witness to their demise, and Clef was left trying to hold together the ravaged world long enough to.To what? Long enough to find a new Pillar. And then.? This whole cycle would repeat, and the Pillar would call the Magic Knights to end her life.  
  
iThis is our fight. . ./i  
  
Magic Knights.  
  
iTo ask more would only be selfish./i  
  
Fuu. . .  
  
iIf you ever find a special person, give one to them/i Emeraude had said as she placed a pair of golden earrings in his hand.  
  
Was this the fate that awaited him? Cursed to fall in love with someone not of this world, kept apart until he expired from longing?  
  
iDo not grieve for me. /i  
  
How could he not grieve? Wasn't one supposed to grieve when a loved one died?  
  
iI am happy. /i  
  
Happiness?  
  
iOnly for a moment. . ./i  
  
Was love so great that a mere instant was enough to erase an eternity of loneliness?  
  
A picture of Fuu entered his mind's eye, Fuu with her dazzling green eyes behind those strange pieces of glass she wore perched on her nose, smiling at him. That adorable, wondering expression she had worn when he gave her his ring and bid her farewell.  
  
iBut. . .I have nothing to give you back. . .*Oh Fuu, you don't have to give me anything.that kiss was truly enough. I would die a happy man if my last sight could be of you.*/i It took a moment before he realized what he had just thought.  
  
I am happy. . .  
  
Maybe, just maybe, love could make him happy too. Ferio smiled.  
  
Ferio snapped back to reality when he heard Fyula whimper loudly. It took him a moment to get his bearings, and he saw that the blue fish was hovering over the Forest of Silence, looking distressed. He leaned over the fish's side and could just make out a clearing in the forest far below.  
  
i*That must be it,* /ihe thought to himself. "C'mon, Fyula, we need to be in the forest." Ferio said aloud. Fyula whimpered again and he could feel the poor creature shivering beneath him. i*Poor thing, he's right to be scared..*/i "Fyula! Clef said we need to go down there, so that's what we're doing!" At the mention of the mage's name the fish seemed to calm slightly and began descending. "Good boy," he murmured as the towering trees came up to meet them. The great blue fish was still trembling as Ferio slid down its side.  
  
"Thanks, Fyula. Clef'll be proud of you." He made another sound that Ferio couldn't interpret, but the prince suspected that this creature would go deep into the heart of the Forest of Silence only for Clef. Which, he decided, was not the worst reason to do anything. "I'll make this quick," he called over his shoulder as he sprinted toward Presea's house.  
  
The building in front of him was of a weathered brown color, dome-shaped, and entirely unremarkable. There was an average-sized door with a knob. When he tried to open it, the door wouldn't budge. So he knocked.  
  
And waited. He pounded on the door with his fist.  
  
And waited some more.  
  
Ferio was not a person of exceptional patience.  
  
"Oi! Anyone in there?" He shouted as he kicked the door. A keyhole appeared, and Ferio jumped back. "Well, then," He fished the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the rather convenient hole. There was a small click, and the door opened. It was rather dark inside, and Ferio stuck his head in for a better look. Due to reflexes honed by years of swordsmanship, he was able to duck just in time to avoid what appeared to be a heavy, fist- sized projectile on a collision course with his head.  
  
To be continued.  
  
Just to let you know, I am leaving for summer camp and will not be back until August. I doubt that I will have time to write between now and then, so I appreciate your patience. Thank you for reading and please leave a review! ~SD 


End file.
